This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

Shortly after graduating high school, I was apartment hunting with one of my very good friends. Our first stop was her mom's apartment complex. Upon arriving to her mom's, we noticed she had a little Pomeranian mix in her house that wasn't hers.

When we asked where he came from, she explained that a lady in the complex had just let him go, and when they tried to return him, they were advised that she no longer wanted him. Having grown up with Poms, he instantly had my heart.

Her mom told us that she was going to try and find him a home, but come the end of the weekend, he was going to be brought to the shelter as she already had two dogs of her own and couldn't take in another. Without a second thought (or a call home to notify my parents), I decided that he would be mine.

I managed to hide him from my parents for a few days, but they eventually noticed. Moving in with my friend fell through, and my parents told me that I had to get rid of the dog, or move out. Getting rid of him was obviously out of the question, so I moved in with my friend and her family until he and I moved in with my boyfriend about eight months later.

When I brought the dog to the vet, I was told he had several health conditions, including being a cryptorchid and having a neurological problem that sometimes causes seizures, which may explain why the prior owner didn't want him.

I'll never understand why someone would so inhumanely abandon such a sweet, loving, gentle dog, but I am thankful every single day that he is in my life. He is the best dog I have ever owned, and we have a bond that I never imagined I could have with an animal.

My boyfriend and I have since rescued four kittens, who Todd absolutely adores. They all get along so well, and their relationships warm my heart every day. Please everyone, rescue your pets!

Story submitted by Summer from Deerfield Beach, Florida.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!